The most famous statue ever created of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was carved in the 4th Century B.C. by the renowned Athenian sculptor Praxiteles, who is credited as the first artist to fashion a monumental image of Aphrodite nude. The model was alleged to be the sculptor's mistress, the notorious courtesan Phryne. While the original marble statue erected at the port city of Knidos no longer exists, it is known today through ancient descriptions, anecdotes, and numerous copies in diverse media. In this lecture, Andrew Stewart of the University of California, Berkeley, explores the legends surrounding this lost masterpiece; the many messages it addressed to its male and female audiences; and selected episodes in its reception from the Renaissance to the present.

About Andrew Stewart
Andrew Stewart is Nicholas C. Petris Professor of Greek Studies and professor of art history and classics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a world-recognized authority on Greek sculpture, and has written widely on diverse aspects of ancient art and archaeology. His many publications include Skopas of Paros; Attika: Studies in Athenian Sculpture of the Hellenistic Age; Greek Sculpture: An Exploration; Art, Desire, and the Body in Ancient Greece; Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics; Attalos, Athens, the Akropolis: The Pergamene "Little Barbarians" and their Roman and Renaissance Legacy; and, most recently, Classical Greece and the Birth of Western Art. He has received grants and honors from the German Archaeological Institute, the Getty, Guggenheim, and Kress foundations, among many others, and, as a field archaeologist has excavated in New Zealand, Greece (at Knossos), and Israel, where for many years he directed the Berkeley team at Tel Dor.

Planning your visit
The main gate on Pacific Coast Highway opens to ticketed guests at 6:00 p.m. The auditorium opens at 7:00 p.m., and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The galleries and Museum Store will be open before and after the lecture. A selection of light dinner fare as well as beer and wine are available for purchase at the Café until 7:30 p.m.

How to Get Here
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. See Hours, Directions, Parking for directions and parking information.